Artificial Intelligence System to Distinguish Between Fake and Genuine Products

Indian-origin researchers have taken a giant step towards tackling counterfeiting by developing a new system that uses Artificial Intelligence algorithms and a smartphone app which that instantly distinguishes between genuine and fake versions of the same product.

This unique system deploys a data set of three million images across various objects and materials such as fabrics, leather, pills, electronics, toys and shoes.

According to Lakshminarayanan Subramanian, Professor at New York University, “The classification accuracy is more than 98 per cent, and we show how our system works with a cell phone to verify the authenticity of everyday objects.”

The one-of-its-kind system was presented at the annual KDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on August 14.

Explaining the system and its functionality, Subramanian explained, “The Artificial Intelligence algorithms then analyse the images to determine authenticity and provide results in real-time.

The underlying principle of our system stems from the idea that microscopic characteristics in a genuine product or a class of products – corresponding to the same larger product line–exhibit inherent similarities that can be used to distinguish these products from their corresponding counterfeit versions.”

There are also many other counterfeit detection methods, but they have high risks of damaging the products under examination as they are invasive.

If this system becomes successful, it’ll bring out a revolution in the anti-counterfeiting business and curb the growing menace of counterfeiting.